New Beginnings
by XashXdawnX
Summary: After their wedding, Ash and Dawn Ketchum are ready for a new beginning with their children, Alex and Julia, and are ready to be a family. Find out what adventures and challenges await the new Ketchum family in this sequel to "Two Broken Hearts."
1. Chapter 1

****XashXdawnX – Here's the sequel to Two Broken Hearts. Thanks again to PokemonFreak90 for helping write this story. We hope you all enjoy New Beginnings!****

****PokemonFreak90 - Welcome to our sequel to Two Broken Hearts. Make sure to go and read that story first or nothing in this story will make sense. I'm proud to once again be helping with the writing of this story. We hope that you enjoy the continuing adventures of the new Ketchum family.****

It was a warm summer day in August. A cruise ship was sailing along the water. Ash and Dawn were on this ship, heading back to Twinleaf Town after being away for two weeks on their honeymoon.

Dawn was standing by the railing, looking out, and smiled as Sinnoh came into her view on the horizon. Ash was standing behind her with his arms around her waist, holding her close.

"There's Sinnoh. We're almost home." Dawn said.

"We've had a great time together, but I'm glad to be going home." Ash said.

"Me, too. I missed being with our kids."

"'Our kids...' I still can't believe that we're a family now. It feels wonderful."

"Yes, it does. It's a new beginning for all of us, another chance to be happy."

They stood in silence for a few minutes, watching as the shore became bigger and closer.

"We had a wonderful honeymoon, I loved being with you all of the time." Dawn said softly, breaking the silence.

"Me, too. We went to a lot of different places and saw a lot of different things. We spent a lot of great days together."

"And we also spent a lot of great nights together too, remember?" Dawn said playfully, causing Ash to laugh.

"I remember. You hardly let me get any sleep." Ash replied playfully and leaned down and kissed her neck.

Dawn turned around in his arms and looked at him. "Oh, don't play innocent. You kept me up at night just as many times!"

They both laughed and then stared at each other before their lips met in a loving kiss. "I love you." they both said after breaking apart. They were newlyweds and were full of happy, playful, kid-like energy.

After about an hour, the ship was docking.

"Thank you for choosing Regions Sailing and we hope that you enjoyed your trip. Have a great day." a voice over the speaker said as the passengers started to disembark. Ash and Dawn made their way off of the ship.

After driving back to Twinleaf Town, they got out of the car and made their way into Ash's house with their bags. They walked into the living room and set their bags down on the floor. The house was quiet, but then they heard laughter coming from one of the rooms. Children's laughter.

"We're home!" they called out.

Alex and Julia ran into the room, smiling happily. "Mom! Dad! You're back!" they cried, running towards their parents.

Ash knelt down and hugged Alex while Dawn picked Julia up and hugged her. The kids then walked over to their other parent and hugged them, too, as Delia and Johanna walked into the room, hearing the commotion.

Delia and Johanna hugged Ash and Dawn.

"Welcome back," they said as they pulled away.

"I'm glad that you two made it home safely." said Delia.

"Did you two have a good trip?" Johanna asked.

After fixing some drinks and some snacks for the kids, they were all sitting in the living room, Pikachu and Piplup were now with them, too.

"So where did you go?" Julia asked.

"We flew to Kalos and spent a week there, visiting the different cities and towns." Ash said.

"Julia, you would have loved Lumiose City. Your friend, Grace, would have, too." Dawn said, remembering one of her favorite cities.

"Why?"

"There's a store called Boutique Couture. It's a shop where you have to be stylish to get into. Grace would have been in paradise if she had gone in. They let us come in when I told them that I was a Top Coordinator. I bought some new gowns and outfits for myself and for you while we were there. There was also a place where you could make Pokemon videos. It was so cute, watching some of the videos that people had made." Dawn explained.

"We also went to Camphrier Town, where there's a castle. We saw a fireworks display, too." Ash said.

"Then there was Ambrette Town. It has an aquarium." Ash added.

"We even went to Snowbelle City, which is like Snowpoint City here in Sinnoh. It was fun and a very pretty sight, but so cold." Dawn said, laughing.

"After we stayed in Kalos for a week, we flew to Kanto." said Ash. "I showed Dawn around Pallet Town, since she had never been to Kanto and had never seen Pallet Town before. She saw the Oak Research Lab and met Gary and Leaf."

"It was great to see where Ash once lived. Pallet Town is a lovely place and really reminded me of Twinleaf Town. Gary and Leaf were very nice to me. They're wonderful people and I can see why Ash is so close to them." Dawn added, remembering.

* * *

><p><em><em>Ash and Dawn were walking around Pallet Town. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set, painting the sky different shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink.<em>_

__Ash was pointing out different things to her as they walked. He pointed out the field where all of his Pokemon lived when he lived there, along with the lab. He pointed out his old house and his mom's house and Dawn was taking in everything that he showed her. She was reminded of Twinleaf Town as they walked.__

__Dawn then realized that they had walked into the Pallet Town cemetery and she wondered why they were there, until Ash suddenly stopped. Looking down at the tombstone, she understood. This was Misty's grave.__

__"____Do you...want to be alone for a little while?" she asked softly, looking at Ash.__

__Ash shook his head. "No. Please stay with me." he said, putting his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.__

__His head was resting on her shoulder as they looked down. "I haven't been here since Misty's funeral. I was so sad and hurt that I couldn't bear to see her grave again, afraid that it would bring back all of the painful memories. But because of you and your love and support, I'm able to now stand here in front of her grave, no longer hurting because of what happened to her." he said softly.__

__Dawn turned around in his arms. Looking into his eyes, she saw that the pain that she had once seen when she had asked him why he had moved to Sinnoh in the beginning was now gone. She caressed his face and spoke softly. "I'm glad that I was able to help you, just as I'm glad that you were able to help me, too. I love you so much."__

_"___I love you, too." Ash said and kissed Dawn's forehead.__

__Ash then looked down at Misty's grave and started to talk.__

__"____Hey, Mist. I'm sorry that I've never visited here before." Ash said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I thought that I had the perfect life with you and Alex and that it would last forever, but I guess forever just isn't as long as it used to be. I felt that I would have to live with my grief for the rest of my life.__

_"___But thankfully, that didn't happen. When we left Pallet Town and moved to Sinnoh for a new start, I found Dawn and we healed each others' hearts and gave each other a second chance to be happy. If you were here now, I know that the two of you would be the best of friends and I know that you would be glad that Alex and I are happy again. He has a new mother to love, and who loves him, too. And while I love Dawn, you will always hold a special place in my heart.__

__"____I've started battling again. I nearly gave it up after you passed away. I wish that you could have seen it, you would've loved it. You always loved watching me battle, doing what I loved to do.__

__"____You would have loved seeing Kalos. It's amazing. You would have loved the aquarium that they have, especially all of the different Water Pokemon. I'm sorry that I never got to take you to Kalos, but I know that you would have loved it."__

__Ash then knelt down in front of the grave and placed a single lily on the ground. "I miss you and I hope that you're happy and well, wherever you are." he spoke softly.__

__As Ash finished speaking, Dawn began to talk.__

_"___I never got to meet you while you were alive, Misty. But from what Ash has told me about you, I know that you were a very special, wonderful person to him. I love him with all of my heart and I can see why you loved him, too. He's a wonderful, caring man who will always listen and support me in everything that I do. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I promise to love and care for Alex, too. I'll be the mother that he needs and deserves."__

* * *

><p>"And after visiting Pallet Town, we got on a cruise ship, which took us from Kanto and home to Sinnoh." Ash finished.<p>

"It sounds like you two had a great time on your honeymoon." Johanna said.

"I'm glad that you two had such a good time. I know that Gary and Leaf enjoyed seeing you both again." Delia added.

"That all sounds like a lot of fun. I wish that we could have been there." Alex said, motioning to himself and Julia.

"We wish that you could've been there, too. And while we had a great time together, we're glad to finally be home with all of you again." said Ash.

"We'll be able to do something together like that, right?" Julia asked.

"Of course we can. We'll take plenty of family trips together." said Dawn. "The next time that we go, you two can come."

A small moment of silence passed over them.

"So what have you two been up to while we were away?" Dawn asked her kids.

"I went to a girl's summer camp with Grace the day after you two left to go on your honeymoon. I spent a week there and met girls from all over Sinnoh. I made a lot of new friends, too. We played a lot of sports and did some crafts. Grace says that she's just average when it came to sports, but I think that she really improved while at camp. When it got tough, she really got down and dirty while playing, which she normally never does." Julia said, laughing slightly.

"That's great, sweetie." Dawn said, happy that Julia had made new friends.

"I've gotten to know Johanna and Julia a lot better while you two were away." Delia added.

"I mainly stayed home with grandma, both of them. I had Alan and Anthony over quite a few times and we played street hockey. Coach told us to practice if we wanted to make the team next year and I don't want to get rusty or out of shape. The tryouts nearly got me this year, since I had stopped playing after mom died and I don't want that to happen again." Alex said.

"Now, we have to tell all of you something, we have to move. Living in two separate houses won't work. We need a bigger house for our new family to live in." said Dawn.

"What do you think about moving back to Pallet Town? Alex, you would get to see your old friends again and go to your old school." Ash asked.

"But I've made new friends here in Sinnoh. Friends that I'm even closer to than my old friends. I don't want to leave them." Alex said, shaking his head.

"And I've only just made my first friends this year in school after having none last year. I don't want to leave them right when things are going well for me for the first time in forever. I would have to start all over again in Kanto, just like Alex had to when he moved here. I don't think I can go through being a new girl and having to make new friends again." Julia said, looking at her hands, mainly at a bracelet that was around her wrist. A bracelet that had been given to her by Grace; a friendship bracelet that they had made at camp.

__They're right. We can't just leave Sinnoh or Twinleaf Town. This is where Julia grew up and thanks to Alex, she made new friends who all live close to her. This is home and taking that from her after everything that she and I have been through...we can't do that. Sinnoh is where we belong. We're a new family and we'll be a new family here in Twinleaf. We belong here. __Dawn thought to herself.

__The kids are right. Twinleaf Town is where we belong. We can't just give everything up and start again. It was tough enough the first time for Alex and I and I don't plan on going through that again. I'm definitely not putting Alex, Julia, or Dawn through that, either. __Ash thought.

"Okay, we'll stay in Twinleaf Town. Hopefully, we can find a house to live in that's close by so that you two will be near your friends." Ash and Dawn said.

Alex and Julia smiled widely and said a big thank you. They were both happy that they wouldn't have to move away.

"That's wonderful." Johanna said. She was glad that they wouldn't be moving away and would still be close by, so she could visit often.

"We'll stay in touch with you, Delia, and we'll visit when we can." Dawn said, looking at her mother-in-law.

She nodded her head and said, "Well, now that you two are home, I'll be heading back home to Pallet Town tomorrow." She had been staying in Twinleaf Town for over two months, helping with Ash and Dawn's wedding and then helping Johanna watch the kids. It was time for her to return back to Kanto and back to her home.

"Okay, but before you leave...we're going to take you all out for lunch. We're going to have lunch and then spend the rest of the day together as a family." Ash said, wrapping his arm around Dawn's waist.

"But right now, we're going to unpack. Then we can leave when everyone is ready." Dawn said, grabbing her bags.

Once they unpacked and were back downstairs, the six of them left the house, ready to spend their first day together as a family.

****We hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of New Beginnings. Please send us suggestions for what can happen to Ash and Dawn and the others in the story, we're short on ideas right now. The more that we get, the longer the story. So please tell us your ideas.****

****Please R&R****


	2. Chapter 2

**XashXdawnX - Here's the new chapter. Enjoy!**

**PokemonFreak90 - Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep sending them in!**

Boxes were lining the walls and were scattered on the floor in Ash's house. Over the past few days, Ash, Dawn, Alex, Julia, along with their friends and their parents had packed up both of their houses to move. Their new house was only two streets away from their old houses, so they were still living close to their friends.

Only a few things remained to be packed, but those would be packed tomorrow, on the day that they would leave.

"Thank you for helping us. It means a lot." Ash said to everyone.

"We never would have gotten everything packed if all of you didn't help us, so thank you." Dawn added.

"It wasn't a problem. We were happy to help."

By now, it was now getting close to supper time. Since everything in both houses was packed up, Ash, Dawn, and the kids would be staying with Johanna for the night.

"Can you guys stay a little longer?" Alex asked, looking at their friends.

"We wanted to write a letter to Princess Sarah." Julia said. Princess Sarah was Queen Salvia's daughter. The kids had met her at their parents' wedding.

Their friends all nodded their heads and went to tell their parents.

"Okay, just be home in time for supper and be careful coming home." Isla and Trey's parents said.

"Be safe," said Grace's parents.

"Be home by supper time and be careful." Alan's parents said.

"Be careful coming home."said Anthony's parents.

The kids were all sitting in Alex's empty room with some paper and pens and Alex began writing. Alex wrote about his summer and what it had consisted of, mainly being him playing hockey with Alan and Anthony. Alex passed the letter to Alan, who wrote about playing hockey and keeping in shape for the new school year. Once Alan finished, Anthony started to write and he wrote about how if their school's hockey team made it to the finals again and if Sinnoh Now broadcasted the game like they did the previous year, he hoped that she could watch them on TV. Trey asked Sarah about how she was and how her summer had gone, asking if she had a summer break like they did.

Julia began writing her part of the letter and she told Sarah about how they were moving into a new house and included their new address so that she could keep in touch with them. Julia also asked Sarah about how everything was going at the palace and how her mom had been treating her with her lessons on how she needs to act. Grace told Sarah about how she went to summer camp with Julia and met some new girls and made some new friends. She even told her about how she had improved on sports. Isla wrote about how summer was close to ending and that school was starting again next week, and that they will all be in third grade at Twinleaf Elementary. She even asked Sarah about what school she goes to and when it would be starting again.

"I also want to send Sarah a friendship bracelet that we made at summer camp." Grace said, removing a bracelet and setting it by the paper. While at summer camp, Julia and Grace had made friendship bracelets for Isla and Sarah, along with their own. They finished the letter by telling Sarah that they missed her and hoped to see her again soon and signed their names.

They walked downstairs and found Ash and Dawn.

"We've already written a letter to Salvia and we'll send your letter with ours." Dawn said, taking the letter that Alex held out.

"What did you write about?" Julia asked.

"Our honeymoon and thanking her again for helping with the wedding. And we gave her our new address and asked when we could see each other again." she replied.

Their friends then said goodbye and that they would see them tomorrow when they moved out.

* * *

><p>"...And that's the last of it." Ash said, setting down the final box in their new house. He walked back outside where everyone else was waiting. "Thank you again for all of the help. We can take it from here."<p>

After everyone left, the four Ketchums were left to unpack and make the house look and feel like home.

"When we get everything unpacked and we're settled, you two can invite your friends over to see." Dawn said as she looked at all the boxes.

"Yay!" Alex and Julia cried.

After about three days, everything was unpacked and the family was settled in.

The Ketchum house was a large two-story house that was white. A porch was hanging over the front steps of the house and a patio over the doors to the backyard. There was a wide driveway off to the side of the house where Ash and Dawn's cars were parked. There was also a large backyard and a swimming pool with a diving board.

Inside the house, there were at least nine rooms. There was a living room, kitchen, dining room, the kids' bedrooms, a bathroom, another bathroom in the master bedroom, and a study. All of the floors except for the floors in the bathrooms, kitchen, and bedroom were wooden. The walls of the house were painted a light cream color.

The kitchen was very big with a white table in it for eating and four chairs. The floor was light gray tiles. A large window looked out to the backyard, the sink below the window. Wooden cabinets were hanging from the walls, along with a large cabinet near the fridge. A black stove was in between two cabinets. The counter tops were black. The kitchen even had a bar with four bar stools.

The dining room lead into the kitchen. A wooden table was in the middle of the dining room with six wooden chairs. A cabinet was along one of the walls, that would hold wines for special occasions.

The living room was mixed with black, gray, red, and white furniture. Two couches were in the room, one against the wall and the other in the middle of the room, one white and the other black. Four small chairs were placed along the room. One beside the window, two by the couch, and one along the wall. Two were red and the other two were black. Two glass tables were in the room, one in front of the couch and one in front of the window. The television was on the wall in front of the couch. A fireplace was also in the room.

Alex's room was a lot bigger than his old room had been. His bed was pushed against the wall with red and black sheets covering it. His Pokeball beanbag was in one of the corners of his room. A desk was by the window and beside the desk was a bookcase full of books and videos of his dad's battles. A lot of posters were hung along his walls varying from Pokemon to posters of his dad. A shelf was on the wall and on the shelf were pictures. One picture was the picture of him, his dad, and his mom before she had passed away and surrounding that picture were pictures that had been taken at his dad's recent wedding: he, his dad, his new mom, and Julia. And the other picture was of him, his sister, and all of their friends. The television was hanging in the corner above the beanbag, facing the bed. His closet was on the opposite wall of his bed.

Julia's room was a lot bigger than her old room had been, too. Her bed was pushed against the wall with light blue sheets covering it. A desk with a computer was in the corner of her room. Her television was hanging from the wall that faced her bed. And below the television was a table with her game system on it and her games were stacked neatly. A bookcase was beside the desk and it was full of books. Her walls were full of pictures varying from her, her and her friends, and her and her parents. A night table was beside her bed with her alarm clock on top of it. Her closet door was slightly open.

Ash and Dawn's room had a bathroom connecting to it. A large queen size bed was in the middle of the room, covered in dark blue sheets. A dark wooden night stand was on either side of the bed. A loveseat was in the corner of the room. A wardrobe was on the wall next to where the door was. Another door was in the room and lead to the bathroom and a walk-in closet was there for all of Ash and Dawn's clothes. Ash had wanted Dawn to have a walk-in closet, seeing that she had loved the walk-in closet in their room at Salvia's palace. A large window was also in their room.

* * *

><p>Ash was lying on his side, staring lovingly at Dawn, who was still asleep. Her hair was falling against her pillow and falling slightly into her face. He saw her eyes flutter and then they opened. She smiled sleepily at him and moved in and kissed him.<p>

"Good morning," he said, brushing her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Morning," she said.

Ash kissed her again and smiled at her. "I love how the first thing that I see every morning when I wake up is you, the woman I love."

Dawn smiled. "Before I met you and before we fell in love, I was a light sleeper. I wanted to be there if Julia ever needed something in the night, so I never slept soundly because of it. I wanted to make sure that if she needed me, I could be there. But now...I can sleep soundly at night because I know that there's no need to worry, I know that you and I are here for not only Julia, but for both of our kids. I don't have to worry myself so much anymore because you're here to help me, love me, and protect all of us." Dawn spoke softly.

"I will always be here, Dawn. For you and the kids." Ash said, kissing her and whispering that he loved her.

After getting up and showering, Ash and Dawn got dressed for the day. It was a warm late summer day outside, so Ash dressed in a pair of dark jean shorts, a plain white tee, and socks. Dawn was dressed in a yellow sun dress and barefoot, pulling her hair into a braid.

Ash left the room, going to Alex's room to wake him up. Ash went into Alex's room, walked over to his bed, and knelt down beside it. He shook Alex's shoulder.

"Wake up," he said.

Alex muttered sleepily and opened one eye and then the other, before blinking. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his dad.

"Go ahead and get dressed. Your mom and I are making breakfast." he said, standing up.

Ash started walking towards the door and heard the covers rustling as Alex sat up.

"Dad?"

Ash stopped and turned to look at Alex. Alex was sitting up with his feet dangling over the edge of his bed.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

Ash walked over to Alex's bed and sat down next to him. "Of course, Alex. What's wrong?"

"If mom was still alive...would she be happy with me having a new mom?" he asked.

Ash thought back to the day of his recent wedding and remembered what Misty had told him.

"Alex, I know that if your mom was still alive, she would be happy that we're happy again with Dawn and Julia in our family. And if she was still here, she and Dawn would have been great friends. She's happy that we're happy." Ash replied.

Alex smiled and said, "Thanks, dad. It feels so good to call someone "mom" again. I missed saying that and I like calling her my mom."

"And I know that she loves hearing you say it, too." Ash replied, hugging his son.

Dawn walked out of her room and headed towards Julia's bedroom. Upon entering, she saw that Julia was rubbing her eyes, having just woken up.

"Hey, sweetie. We're going to make breakfast so go ahead and start getting dressed." Dawn said.

"Mom?" Julia asked, sitting up.

"Yes?"

"What would dad think of Ash being my dad now?" she asked.

Dawn wasn't expecting Julia to ask that. Dawn remembered what Kenny had said to her the night that she and Ash had broken up. He hadn't wanted her to be with anyone else but him. But Dawn wasn't going to tell Julia that he was wanting her back and wanting her to be with noone except him. Julia had also seen them fighting while growing up, though...

"He wouldn't mind you having a new daddy, sweetie." Dawn said.

Julia nodded her head and hopped out of her bed, seeing nothing wrong with her mom's answer. Dawn figured that Julia must've thought that Kenny didn't care, considering they had divorced.

Eventually, the four of them were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Pikachu and Piplup were on the floor, eating their Pokemon food from a bowl. It was their first morning together since finishing their unpacking.

"What do you think of the house?" Dawn asked.

"I love it! It's so big and so new!" Julia cried, smiling.

"Yeah, same. It's still close to our friends' houses, too." Alex said.

"And we have a lot more room as well." Julia added.

"But...most of all, we're a family and we're together." the two said, smiling happily.

"Well, now that we're settled in, why don't you invite your friends over to see the new house and have a pool party?" Ash suggested.

School would be starting soon and they knew that this may be the last warm day that they could use the pool with Fall approaching.

"Sounds great." Alex said.

"Can Grandma come, too?" Julia asked. Johanna had yet to see their new house.

"That's a good idea, Julia." Dawn said. "We'll call everyone after we're done eating."

"I'll barbeque some burgers and hot dogs for lunch, too." Ash said.

* * *

><p>Eventually, it was noon and all of Alex and Julia's friends had arrived. Alex and Julia were currently letting their friends see the new house.<p>

"...And that's everything." Alex said as they all stepped outside into the backyard.

Alan whistled and shook his head. "Your house is awesome."

"This place will be great for any parties that you throw." Isla said and Trey nodded his head in agreement.

"I wish that my house was like this." Anthony said.

"It's like a house that you would see in a movie." Grace added.

"Yeah, it's a lot bigger than our old houses." said Alex.

"Our parents spared no expense in making sure that we would be comfortable living here. We've only been here for a couple of days and it already feels like home." Julia said, smiling.

A small silence passed between the group and they looked at the pool in the backyard.

"You guys brought your swimsuits, right?" Julia asked and received a chorus of "yes."

"Then how about we go swimming, get this pool party started?"

"YEAH!"

After the kids finished changing, Alex walked back outside dressed in a pair of red trunks, Anthony was in black trunks, Alan was in orange, and Trey was in blue. Julia walked out in baby blue bikini, Grace was in a pink bikini, and Isla was in a yellow tankini.

Alex took a running start and jumped into the pool, splashing water towards the others. Alan and Anthony jumped in and Trey followed.

"Is it too cold?" Grace asked.

"Nope. It's nice and cool for such a warm day." Anthony answered.

"Together?" Julia asked, holding her hands out.

"Together." Grace and Isla agreed, nodding their heads and taking Julia's hands.

The three took a running start and jumped into the pool. When they surfaced, they saw Dawn with her camera.

"That was a great shot." she called.

The girls smiled and laughed as Pikachu and Piplup jumped into the pool to join the fun.

Johanna was sitting in a lawn chair in the shade, watching the kids have fun. Dawn had brought out a cooler filled with juices, sodas, and waters in case the kids got thirsty and she was now wearing a dark pink bikini, lying in the sun in a lawn chair, tanning, with her camera beside her. Ash started cooking some hamburgers and hot dogs.

"How about we play Marco, Polo?" Isla suggested.

"Okay, you can start." Trey said, smiling at his sister.

Isla nodded and went to the middle of the pool and closed her eyes. The others swam away from her and waited.

The kids and Pokemon played many different water games, including water tag and bouncing around a ball, and eventually decided to take a break, floating in the pool on some floats. Then they began to chat.

"Now that we've moved out of our old houses, who do you guys think will be moving in?" Alex asked.

"I don't know, but they'll be living near us. Hopefully, they're nice people." Julia said, resting her head on her arms.

"What if they have kids?" Alan asked.

"And what if those kids are our age? We could be seeing them in school!" Anthony added.

"They'll be the new kids in school, just like I was last year." Alex said.

"Then we should help them at school by making them feel welcome." Grace said.

"Should we try to befriend them?" Isla asked.

"Well, that means that our group of friends would grow from eight to nine or ten! Is that too many?" Trey asked.

"You can never have too many friends! Besides, Grace and I may already know them." Julia replied.

"Huh? How?" Anthony asked, looking at the two.

"At camp, Julia and I made some friends who said that they were moving over the summer. It's a long shot, but maybe one of them is moving here."

"Well, that makes things easier for us if they already know some of you girls." Alan said.

"So it's settled. If the new people moving to Twinleaf Town are kids our age, we're going to make them feel welcome and happy in their new town and school, right?" Isla asked.

"RIGHT!" they all replied and high-fived.

"Lunch is ready." Ash announced after a few minutes.

The kids all got out of the pool, dried off, and sat down outside with their lunch and ate and talked.

* * *

><p>After a long day of swimming and having fun together, it was time for all of Alex and Julia's friends and Johanna to go home.<p>

"I had so much fun, we should do this again. I'll see you guys at school." Grace said, hugging Julia.

"Thanks for inviting us. We had a lot of fun." said Trey.

"See you at school." Isla added, hugging Julia.

"See you guys at school and thanks for inviting me." said Anthony.

"I had fun, see you at school." Alan said.

Their friends left, heading towards their homes.

"Well, I'm going to head on home, too. Thank you for inviting me over and this house is perfect for you four. If I don't see you two before school starts, I hope that you both have a good first day." she said, hugging her grandchildren.

Ash and Dawn hugged her too, and then she left.

**The Ketchum family has happily settled into their new home and the kids enjoy a day of fun in the pool with their friends as summer nears its end. School will begin again in the next chapter as the kids discover that a few surprises await them this year.**

**And for those of you that have been suggesting that Ash and Dawn should have a child together, we would just like to say that yes, it will happen, but not until the end of the story, so please send us some different suggestions and we may use them in the story, too.**

**Please R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

XashXdawnX - Here's the newest chapter! Hope you all enjoy and sorry for the long wait. Hope it makes up for it.

PokemonFreak90 - Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 3!

Ash walked into Alex's room and walked over to his bed, shaking his shoulder.

"Alex, wake up." he said.

Alex muttered something and opened his eyes, looking at his dad.

"It's time to get up and get ready for school." Ash said.

Alex blinked sleepily and nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Dawn walked into Julia's room and walked over to her bed.

"It's time to get up, Julia." she said, shaking her gently.

Julia rolled over and looked at her mom.

"It's the first day of school." Dawn said.

Julia nodded her head and sat up.

Today was Alex and Julia's first day of the third grade.

* * *

><p>As Dawn set the plates down on the table for breakfast, Alex walked into the kitchen. He was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts, a light blue polo, and black and blue sneakers. Alex sat down at the table and started eating. A few minutes later, Julia walked into the kitchen. She was wearing a white plaid pleated skirt, a white collar shirt, and black boots. This outfit was one of the outfits that her mom had gotten her in Kalos from Boutique Couture. Julia had decided that she didn't mind dressing up and had asked for her mom to buy her some clothes that were a little more girly. After all, she was going to be a coordinator one day.<p>

Once the Ketchums had finished their breakfast, they got into Dawn's car and drove towards Twinleaf Elementary. Once they arrived at the school, Dawn parked the car and they got out.

"Have a good day." Ash and Dawn said, hugging their kids.

"Bye, love you." Alex and Julia said, pulling their backpacks onto their shoulders.

"Love you, too."

Alex and Julia turned and headed towards the school's front doors. As they walked into the school, they saw students standing in the foyer and halls, talking, laughing, and hugging one another.

"The two walked around, looking for their friends. After walking for a few minutes, Julia spotted Grace's pink hair and saw all of their friends standing together by the wall.

Alex and Julia hurried over to where they were and Grace was the first one to spot them.

"Hey!" she cried, hugging Julia.

"Hey, guys." Alex greeted.

"Hey," Julia greeted.

"I hope that we're all in the same class this year." Alan said.

"Yeah, me, too." said Anthony.

Alan and Anthony hadn't been in the same class as the others' last year.

Grace was wearing a yellow sun dress and white flats and her pink hair was pulled into a high ponytail. Isla was wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts with a white tee with a smiley face on it and blue converses. Alan was wearing a pair of dark jean shorts, a red tee, and red sneakers. Anthony was wearing a pair of light blue jeans, a black tee, and black boots. Trey was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white tee, and white sneakers.

"That outfit is amazing, Julia. Where did you get it?" Grace asked.

"Thanks. My mom got in Kalos from Boutique Couture." Julia replied.

"Well, it's fabulous. I hear that that store is hard to get into."

"It is, you have to be stylish to get in. Luckily, when my mom told them that she was a Top Coordinator, they let her and my dad come in."

Alex looked around and saw two people; a boy and girl, walking around and looking lost. They seemed like new students.

"Hey, we should go and help them out." Alex said, pointing towards the two.

The others looked and nodded their heads in agreement, but before they could head over there, Amy and her friends approached the two. Amy wasn't the nicest girl in school, she enjoyed making fun of Julia. By getting to the new students first, they might follow Amy's example.

"Oh no..." Isla said.

"Here comes some more bullies." Trey muttered.

"Like we need any more people like Amy." said Alan.

"Don't worry, Amy won't get to them. At least not to that girl." said Grace.

"Hey!" Julia called.

The girl looked around and saw Julia waving. The two new kids pushed past Amy and ran towards where Julia and the others were.

Julia and Grace hugged the girl.

"It's great to see you again." they said.

"This is Melissa, we met her at camp during the summer." Grace introduced.

Melissa had straight, light blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. She was pale and had blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of pink shorts, a black tank top, and black flip flops.

"I knew that we were going to be moving during the summer and we moved to Twinleaf Town."Melissa said. "I was excited when I found out it was going to be Twinleaf Town, since Grace and Julia live here."

"We also told her about Amy and her friends. She knew to stay away from them." Julia added.

"Oh, right! This is my cousin, Jake. He also moved to Twinleaf Town during the summer." Melissa said, pointing to the boy next to her.

Jake had black hair that was spiked, dark brown eyes, and he was tanned. He was wearing a pair of black cargo shorts, a dark green tee, and black converses.

"My father and her mother are siblings. I'm not blood related to Melissa, though. My dad adopted me when I was a baby, so I don't know my real parents, but I don't mind. My adopted father loves me and feels like my real father." Jake explained. "We even live across the road from one another."

The kids then realized that Melissa and Jake had moved into Alex's and Julia's old houses.

"Then we all live close by." said Julia.

"So why did you move to Twinleaf Town, Melissa?" Isla asked.

"My mom found work here at Twinleaf Elementary. She was working at the camp during the summer, but now she's going to be working here at the school. Twinleaf Elementary is going to start up a girl's basketball team and my mom's going to be the coach." Melissa explained.

Julia smiled widely. "This is awesome! I've always wanted to play sports for the school, just like the boys do!"

"Hmm...I may try out, since I got better at sports over the summer at camp." Grace said thoughtfully.

"Finally, we'll get a girl's team. It's about time. I'll leave you guys to trying out, though. I don't do sports." Isla said.

Julia and Grace were excited about this opportunity.

"Do you play any sports, Jake?" Trey asked.

"At my old school, I played basketball and soccer, but I want to try something new. Maybe hockey." he replied.

"Well, we're all on the hockey team." Alan said.

"And we would love to have you on the team." Alex added.

"And you're looking at the Triple-A Line." Anthony said. "It's what the students call our hockey line, since the three of us all play on the same one. Our names all start with 'A'"

"Attention all students, please report to the gym to find out what class you will be in. Please report to the gym in an orderly fashion." the principle's voice said over the intercom.

The kids made their way to the gym and were told to sit with their grade level.

After the first and second graders had been told their classes, it was time for the third graders.

""Mr. Graham's class is room sixteen. Here is the class role..."

"Isla and Trey Carter...Melissa Evans..." the principle said after a few names.

"Alan Fletcher...Alex Ketchum, Julia Ketchum..."

Julia smiled as she heard her name called. She was no longer Julia Berlitz. Since her mom had married Alex's dad, she and her mom had taken his surname. She was now Julia Ketchum, a new Julia. The bullying was behind her now. She had a new family now and she was accepted and loved.

"...Jake Patterson...Grace Summers...Anthony Williams..."

They were all in the same class; Mr. Graham's.

"Alright! We're all in the same class!" Julia cried happily.

They left the gym and headed towards Mr. Graham's class.

"Hey, I want to stop and say hi to Miss Vickers first." Julia said as they entered the second grade hall. Miss Vickers was their teacher last year.

"That's a good idea." Grace said.

"Yeah..."

"Well, we're going to go ahead and head to Mr. Graham's class. Melissa and Jake, we can show you where it is." Anthony said, motioning to himself and Alan. He and Alan had Mr. Thomas last year, so they didn't feel that it was necessary to say hi to her.

"Okay, save us some seats next to you so that we can all sit close by." Alex said.

Alan, Anthony, Jake, and Melissa walked off and the others headed towards Miss Vickers classroom. Miss Vickers was standing outside of her door, greeting her new class.

"Miss Vickers!" Julia called out.

She looked up and saw her old students and smiled at them. The kids ran over to her and stopped in front of her.

"Hello again, I hope that you all had a good summer and I hope that you have a wonderful first day of grade three."

"I'm going to miss having you as our teacher." said Isla.

"And I'll miss having you all in my classroom. You were all such wonderful students and it was a pleasure to teach you."

They talked to Miss Vickers for a few moments, but then had to get to their class.

"It was great seeing you again." they said.

"You, too."

Julia hung back as the others left.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm taking your advice. The bullying is behind me. I'm going to be me and not let anyone get to me. I've put the past behind me. I'm a new person. And I have you as one of the people to thank for it." Julia said.

"That's great to hear. And remember, Julia, if you ever need to talk or anything, my door is always open. Have a great day and a great school year." Miss Vickers said, hugging her. She and Julia were very close.

"Thanks, and you, too." Julia said and ran to catch up to the others.

After a few minutes, they arrived at Mr. Graham's classroom. They walked into the room and found Alan, Anthony, Jake, and Melissa sitting at the back of the room. They walked over to where they were and sat down together at their desks next to them.

After a few minutes, a man walked into the classroom. He appeared to be in his thirties. He had light brown hair, dark golden eyes, and he was tanned. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a light blue button up shirt and sneakers.

"Good morning. I'm Mr. Graham. I hope that you all enjoy your time here this year."

He seemed nice and friendly like Miss Vickers.

"Now, since it's the first day, I would like you all to write three facts about yourselves so that I can get to know you all better. And I will write three facts about myself on the board." Mr. Graham said.

* * *

><p>Eventually, it was lunchtime and the cafeteria was full of chatter.<p>

"So how does it feel to be the new kids?" Alex asked, picking up his pizza.

"We were worried at first. I mean, we've never been the new kids before and had so many worries." Jake replied.

"At our old school, a lot of girls liked sports, but not many do here. I was scared that I wouldn't fit in, but there are a few who like sports." Melissa said.

"Well, there's a lot more than there were last year." said Julia.

"I was scared that people wouldn't accept us. New kids never get accepted right off the bat." Jake said, taking a sip of his water.

"But it's gone a lot better than we thought. Especially since we have you guys as friends." they said, smiling.

"I had the same problem when I was new here. I didn't always live in Twinleaf Town." Grace said and wiped her mouth.

"Really? You were new here once?" Melissa asked.

"Yes. Before I moved to Twinleaf Town, I live in Hearthome City. I lived there until I was five, and then my family moved to Twinleaf Town and I started kindergarten.

"You wouldn't believe it, but when I first came here...I hung out with Amy and her friends. They weren't the nicest kids to the others, but I was new and wanted to be accepted and fit in, even though I knew that it was the wrong way to do so, going along with wrong crowd. But...I realized my mistake a year later in the first grade. When Julia's parents divorced, Amy and almost the whole class began to make fun of her and bully her. I saw that Amy had gone too far and I stopped hanging out with her.

"When I did that, I was alone in school, but I felt a lot better, being away from Amy and her influence. While I never bullied Julia like they did, I never did anything to help her, either. I was scared that I would be made fun of, too.

"Then last year, in second grade, Alex moved to Twinleaf Town and he stuck up for Julia. He helped her and became her friend, no matter what people said to him or what they thought of him. I started to rethink things because of him and his influence, I owe him a lot. But then, when Amy broke Julia's leg, I realized just how much support Julia needed from people and I knew how much I could give. So I pushed my fears aside and became the first person to befriend Julia when she came back to school with her cast on her leg.

"I had finally learned that this was the right way to make friends. Real friends that would stay by my side, no matter what." Grace said, finishing.

Alex, Jake, and Melissa looked at Grace in complete shock, since this was the first time that they had heard her story. The others were nodding their heads, having been there and remembering her actions from years gone by.

"I remember seeing you with Amy and her friends, but I never thought much of it. I always saw that you never seemed comfortable around them and you were never mean to me or anyone else." said Julia.

"I remember hearing Amy talk about "Little Gracie" after you left her group, but I never realized that it was you." Isla said.

"Yeah, Amy was always talking about you once you left." Trey added.

"It's hard to imagine you hanging out with Amy and her friends because of how you are. I'm glad that you realized that you were friends with the wrong group." Alex said.

"And you were a great role model for me when you came to help Julia when she needed a friend, Alex. You were very brave to do that, despite what people might have said to you for doing so, and you helped me become brave, too. I was able to find it in myself to step up for others, because that's what being a true friend is about." said Grace.

"I only did what my dad would do. He always stands up for his friends and puts them before himself. He was the one who influenced me to do the same. Still, I'm glad that I was able to help you. I really like the kind of person that you are now. You're really something special." Alex said, smiling warmly.

"Thanks, you're really special to me, too." Grace said, smiling back and staring at him.

Jake and Melissa could see that there was a special kind of friendship between Alex and Grace. It was different from the friendship that they shared with them and the others.

"So, have you guys thought of what you want to do when you're older?" Jake asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, have you? This was something that we talked about with our friends at our old school." Melissa said, seeming excited.

"We're all going to go on a Pokemon journey when we're old enough."

"We're going to challenge the gyms and enter the Pokemon League." the boys said.

"I love to draw and art in general, so I've decided to be a Pokemon watcher." Isla said.

"And we're going to be Pokemon coordinators." Grace and Julia said.

"Also, once my days of being a coordinator are over, I'm going to be either a model or a dress designer. I decided this over the summer, since I love gowns and dresses, formalwear, and stuff like that." Grace said suddenly and looked in her bag.

She set a notebook on the table and opened it. Inside were drawings of different gown ideas and the drawings were good and detailed./p

"Oh, wow...Grace, these are amazing." Julia said in awe.

"Yeah, they are. You have some good dress ideas." said Isla.

"Those almost put Isla's drawings to shame." Trey joked.

"You'll do great at whatever you choose, Grace. Your drawings are great, you have a great sense of style, you're photogenic, and not afraid of showing your personality off. So you'd be perfect as a coordinator, as well as a dress designer or model." Alex said.

"Yeah, you'll do great at whatever you decide to do. You're the fashionista." said Anthony.

* * *

><p>At the end of the school day, Alex and Julia said goodbye to their friends and walked out towards their mom's car to meet their parents.<p>

"So how was your day?" Dawn asked as she pulled away from the curb.

"Great! Guess what the school's going to get?" Julia asked.

"What's that?"

"A girl's basketball team! I want to try out for it. Would I be able to?"

"That's great, and of course you can. I know how much you love to play."

"We also made two new friends today. They moved into our old houses." Alex said.

"We're all in the same class, too. Our group of friends are together in class this year." Julia added.

"Our teacher, Mr. Graham, is nice, too. He's married with a one-year-old boy. He's also not from here, he's from Kalos." Alex said, remembering what they had learned about their teacher today.

"Our two new friends are cousins; Jake and Melissa."

"Well, I'm glad that you two had a good first day." said Dawn.

"And I'm proud that you welcomed the new kids." Ash added.

Dawn pulled into the driveway and they all got out of the car and headed towards their front door.

Ash knelt down and picked up a large box that was in front of the door and they walked into the house.

"Who sent it?" Julia asked.

"One second," Ash said, setting the box on the table.

"It's a package from Salvia." Dawn said, seeing Salvia's handwriting and address on the box.

Ash opened the box and inside were two envelopes. One from Salvia, and the other from her daughter, Sarah. There were also three sets of silk bed sheets. The sheets were just like the ones that they had seen and slept in at the palace. Alex's sheets were red, Julia's were pink, and Ash and Dawn's were dark blue.

Dawn picked up the envelope that was from Salvia and opened it. She looked at it for a moment.

"Salvia says that she sent us these sheets as a present for our new home." she said.

The Ketchums felt thankful that Salvia had sent them sheets. She had done so much for them, especially when she agreed to help with their wedding.

"That was nice of Salvia." Alex said.

Julia nodded in agreement and said, "I remember how nice those sheets felt while we were staying at her palace. Now we'll be able to sleep a lot more comfortably at night."

"We should call everyone and meet at Lake Verity, so that we can read Sarah's letter together." Alex said suddenly.

"Is it okay if we go?" Julia asked.

Ash and Dawn nodded their heads.

"Just be careful and be home before supper." Dawn said.

* * *

><p>The kids all gathered at Lake Verity, sitting on the grass. It was Jake and Melissa's first time there.<p>

"Whenever we need to talk as a group, we usually meet here." Julia said.

"I can see why you guys would want to meet here." Melissa said.

"Yeah, It's very quiet and peaceful here." Jake said, looking around at the trees and the lake.

Julia removed the letter.

"Princess Sarah wrote us a letter, replying to the one that we recently sent her." she said.

"How do you know the Princess of Sinnoh? Is it because your parents had their wedding at the palace?" Melissa asked.

Ash and Dawn's wedding was the talk of the summer, with pictures appearing in magazines and on TV. It was very popular because Ash was the Pokemon Master and Dawn was a Top Coordinator, so of course Melissa and Jake would know about it. The news was still one of the most talked about topics, but was slowing, now becoming old news.

"Yes, we met Sarah at our parents' wedding." Alex replied.

"Sarah became our friend and she's really happy about it, since she didn't have any friends before. Her mom even wanted her to make some friends." Julia added.

"Salvia and our mom are really close friends, too. They could be twins! The same for me and Sarah, too." Julia said after a moment. "We're also planning to visit them again."

"Oh, wow..." Melissa said in amazement.

"That's wicked..." said Jake.

"They're really close friends because when they were younger, our mom pretended to be Salvia so that Salvia could compete in a Pokemon contest. You see, Salvia had wanted to compete and was unable to do so, since she was the Princess. Since our mom and Salvia looked identical...it was easy to swap places, and voila! Salvia got to compete and our mom got to be a Princess for a day." Julia explained.

"Sarah even wants to compete in a contest one day. But she may not get the chance to, because of the same reasons that her mom couldn't." Alex said.

"That's not fair." said Jake. "Everyone should get the chance to live their dreams."

"Hopefully, Salvia will let Sarah compete, at least once."

"Well, if not, Julia, you could pretend to be Sarah for a day. It worked with your mom and Salvia." Melissa suggested.

"Yeah, it could work, since we look like twins. I wouldn't mind doing it, since it would allow Sarah to get to compete in a contest. I just wonder if it would work on fooling her mom, since Salvia pulled the same trick.

"Well, let's read the letter." Julia looked at the envelope and ripped it open.

_My dear friends,_

_I hope that you all had a great summer, it sounds like you did. Grace and Julia, thank you for the friendship bracelet that you sent, it means a lot to me and I'll wear it every day. I hope that you enjoy the housewarming gift that my mom and I sent._

_I don't exactly get a summer break like you all do, but I did get to have a party. My mom hosted a summer ball and it was fun, so that counts as my break. My mom is still teaching me how to behave like a Princess should and tutors me at home. I don't go to a school...there isn't exactly anything called a 'Princess Academy.'_

_Boys, if your hockey team makes it to the finals again, be sure to let me know. I'll look forward to watching it on Sinnoh Now, and who knows? Maybe I can convince my mom to let me out to see it for myself. I've been hoping and begging to get to see the world outside of the palace. I miss you all and I hope to see you again soon._

_Best Wishes,_

_Sarah_

* * *

><p>That night, the Ketchums were now heading to bed. Alex and Julia were exhausted from their first day back at school.<p>

"Good night, we love you." Ash and Dawn said, hugging their kids.

"'Night, love you, too." Alex and Julia said returning the hugs and heading up the stairs to their rooms.

And as they all laid down in their beds, close to falling asleep, they all felt that everything was perfect in their new life together as a family. After all of the trails of life that they had faced over the past two years, they felt that they could finally live happily every after.

They were very, very wrong...

**Alex and Julia begin their first day of grade three and make two new friends and learn some new things about their old friends. They also receive a housewarming gift from Queen Salvia and Princess Sarah and it looks like they'll live happily ever after...or will they?**

**Let us know if you have any ideas about what they should face in the future.**

**Please R&R**


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